Currently, agent-based property inspection processes examine a portion of properties during an insurance acquisition process. Property re-inspection processes typically target certain properties at a later date to examine the properties for insurance underwriting issues (e.g., a change in insurance risk and property value characteristics). Agent-based property inspections are expensive and time consuming.
While satellite and high-level aircraft images of properties are available to a limited degree, satellite and high-level aircraft images of properties are typically not available “on demand.” Furthermore, satellite and high-level aircraft images typically do not include enough detail to provide information for insurance purposes (e.g., detail related to hail damaged property, wind damage to roofing, etc.) because federal aviation administration (FAA) regulations require aircraft to maintain a minimum of one-thousand feet clearance above any structures. Thus, comparison of a series of satellite and high-level aircraft images taken over a period of time typically do not provide enough detail to compare, for example, an initial property image with a subsequent property image to, for example, determine property changes. Moreover, satellite and high-level aircraft images are expensive.
Multiple issues arise in relation to using satellite and high-level aircraft images for insurance purposes. Not only are these options expensive in comparison with traditional Agent-based inspections, the technologies rely on aerial image data that is not updated frequently enough to use in automatic insurance underwriting decisions. The technologies rely on data that is not sufficiently nation-wide to use for all insured properties. The technologies rely on data that often times entail unmanageable contractual usage restrictions, and often rely on data that is updated too unpredictably and by too many incompatible vendors (e.g., government and private) technologies. Thus, future availability and accuracy of data cannot be adequately ensured for establishing repeatable and consistent insurance business processes.
Systems and methods are need to provide low-cost, high-resolution, aerial images of property. Systems and methods are needed for property insurance risk characteristic determination and for property change detection based on aerial images.